64 Letter on Affairs in general. [JAN. 



the dwelling, thinking it was time to return home, called at her kennel, 

 to request that the new tenant would remove. The latter received her 

 with great courtesy expressing much gratitude for the favour that had 

 been shewn her but begged the indulgence of only one more month, as 

 her puppies were yet young and feeble unable to go abroad, and to shift 

 for themselves. To this farther delay the mistress of the kennel con- 

 sented, though to her own personal inconvenience ; and went away, rely- 

 ing, at the time appointed, to find her house clear, and set in order for 

 her reception. But she reckoned without her host ; for, when she re- 

 turned, at the end of the third month, and declared that f she was sorry 

 to disturb any body, but could absolutely wait no longer ' Then, in 

 that case,' said the strange bitch, looking to her puppies, who were now 

 grown up fierce and strong, and able to back their mother in that 

 case, come on ! and get possession how you can for, I promise you, you 

 shall never again set foot in this kennel, unless you are strong enough to 

 turn me out of it me, and my litter of pups.' " 



Now France is the bitch that has borrowed the kennel ; she has got 

 possession of Spain getting that, peaceably, by negociation, which she 

 could never (we should say) have got by war. She need never want an 

 argument or excuseas long as arguments or excuses will serve for 

 keeping possession of it ; and, in the meantime, she fixes herself and her 

 interests more firmly in the country every day. By-and-bye, we shall 

 plainly request her to " turn out ;" and it is not quite impossible that, 

 when we put the question, " Peace or war ! are you prepared to evacuate 

 Cadiz ?" she may reply, " 1 am prepared to do so, provided you will, on 

 the same day, walk out of Gibraltar." Now, I confess, I should .like to 

 see this question if it is to be one set at rest as soon as possible. The 

 intention of the French king may be sincere I think it must be sincere. 

 Princes are not bound quite by the same ties that attach individuals ; but 

 the Bourbon family can hardly forget not perhaps that it was England 

 that replaced them on their throne but that England sheltered and sus- 

 tained them, in their seemingly hopeless reverse of fortune. On France, 

 too, as a country, we have claims. We were moderate with her and not 

 " light-fingered" in our day of victory. From the very hour after the 

 battle of Waterloo, upwards, England was her friend and her protector 

 not her foe. All this seems to assure us, that France can have no dispo- 

 sition to go to war with England ; but I am very much of Macbeth's 

 opinion something inclined to " make assurance doubly sure ;" and I 

 think we might as well now, in Spain, wait upon the French, as it were, 

 to the door see them at Bayonne and then all parties will be satisfied, 

 and there will be no occasion for any "assurance'' at all. I do not 

 believe that France has, or has had, any intention of seizing Spain ; but it 

 is written, that you shall not lead nations any more than " men " 

 " into temptation ;" and, if any such caprice were to occur to her, it 

 would be a monstrous convenience to commence operations upon it, with 

 the disputed ground already in her possession. 



Next to the Spanish question, the law of LIBEL has been the most 

 popular late subject of discussion. All the world almost has been indict- 

 ing or indicted ; and there have been two cases tried one, an indictment 

 by M. Bochsa, against the Examiner newspaper, tried before the Lord 

 Chief Justice in the Court of King's Bench ; and the other, an action 

 for damages agaiast the Times t in the matter of " the ideot Smith," tried 



